Be risk wise: get what you want, and like what you get

The structural design of a three-storey apartment block in Sendai, Japan is described. This structure uses cross-linked reinforced concrete slabs to connect two blocks of accommodation and hence improve the performance of the structure under seismic loading. As a result lighter columns could be used around the building perimeter as well as flat slab construction for all floors and roof. Alan Burden,DEng, MSc, DIC, CEng, MICE, MIStructE Structured Environment Ltd, Tokyo/ Kanto-Gakuin University, Yokohama, Japan